


Without You

by Exzie



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 17:44:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18642973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exzie/pseuds/Exzie
Summary: Chat Noir has been kidnapped by Lila.Gabriel Agreste has publicly confessed to being Hawkmoth.Marinette has confessed to her friends to being Ladybug, and her world has fallen apart.How far will she go to get back the boy she loves?(okay yeah that was a crap summary fight me)





	Without You

**Author's Note:**

> Okayyyy so this is crap and I don’t really know why you’re here (unless you’re REALLYYY bored) but go ahead and read it, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya :p
> 
> It’ll probably be at least 3 chapters long, or maybe 2, but for now it’s still a WIP...
> 
> Anywaysss enjoy and LEMME KNOW WHAT U THINK in the comments so I can improve (:

Marinette/Ladybug’s POV  
Three Days Earlier...

“Give it up, Ladybug. You may as well hand over your Miraculous now and save Chat the pain,” Volpina snarled. She stood precariously at the edge of the Eiffel Tower, Chat Noir in her clutches - literally.  
Chat was dangling dangerously from Volpina’s baton, looking utterly defeated. His suit was torn, one sleeve missing. Dirt was smeared across his cheekbones, and the light from his emerald green eyes was gone.

Volpina had taken his baton and snapped it in half, a sadistic grin on her face, and any second now Chat would detransform, his cataclysm a waste, hitting a building instead of Volpina’s baton.

“Never!” Ladybug exclaimed. “Chat Noir and I are a team! We always have been and always will be. We stick together. If you mess with one of us, you mess with both, and that’s something you really don’t wanna do,” she gazed at her partner, trying to hide her worry. She had to be strong. If she betrayed her emotions, it would be a crack in the armour she had put up for Volpina, even for Chat. No, she had to be strong. For him. 

“I could never give you my Miraculous, not without even trying first. Chat - he’s more than just my ‘sidekick.’ He - he’s the reason I’m standing here, helping protect Paris. He made me believe that I could do it, that I can do it, otherwise I would have given up on being Ladybug months ago. Honestly? I don’t know what I’d do without him. I would go to the ends of the earth to make him happy, and I don’t even need to ask him to know he would do the same. But you... You know what the worst thing about you is, Volpina? It’s that you didn’t even need to be akumatized by Hawk Moth to be evil - you already are. But Chat Noir and I made a vow that we would protect Paris no matter what... and I never go back on my promises - that’s something you should know by now.”

Chat Noir met Ladybug’s eyes, his expression that of pure love. For her. Her heartbeat quickened inside her chest, and her eyes welled up with hot tears. Chat closed his eyes tight, tears escaping from the corners, and opened them wide a few seconds later, his gaze burning into Ladybug. “My lady, I - I love you,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. Ladybug stifled a sob; she had never seen Chat so helpless, so unlike himself.  
“I - I...”  
She couldn’t find the words to explain how much he meant to her, how she couldn’t imagine life without him, but yet...  
Yet her heart belonged to another. Another boy, one who would never notice her. Her hands closed into fists, shaking as she thought frustratedly to herself. Why couldn’t she do anything right? Damn, she couldn’t even love the right person.

“It’s okay, Bugaboo. Mew don’t have to say anything now,” he chuckled, making a weak attempt at a pun. A burst of relief exploded in Ladybug’s chest. Even now, in this situation, he was still Chat. Her Chat.

“No, Chat, I do, I lo-“  
“Well, this has all been very touching, but I’m afraid you’re too late.”  
Chat’s sweaty grip slipped from Volpina’s baton, his arm aching. He coughed weakly. “When you’re ready to hand over your Miraculous, that is when I will give you back your precious little kitty. Meanwhile, suffer all you want, Ladybug.”

With that, the toiling dark sky above her, Volpina grabbed Chat by the collar, just as he detransformed, but there was too much fog for Ladybug to see, and both of them disappeared in a puff of illusive smoke.  
“NO! Chat! Chat...” Ladybug cried, falling to her knees. She despised being so helpless, not being able to do anything. That whole speech she had given just then was pointless. Head in hands, she stayed there for a long, long time. An hour? Two? She didn’t even know. All she knew was that her Chat was gone, and who knew when she would see him again. Tears streamed down her face, dropping from her chin as she cried his name over and over again in anguish. Chat Noir. Chat Noir. Chat Noir...

 

Now  
Chat Noir bit his lip, crestfallen. Rose in hand, he closed the space between himself and Ladybug, and grinned - that sudden grin that lit up Ladybug’s world, that could change her mood in seconds. His emerald green eyes glinted with something - love? He handed her the rose, wrapping his hands around hers, and the feeling of him being so close to her made Ladybug’s cheeks go pink, electricity rushing up her spine.  
Behind him, the beautiful Paris sky glittered with the stars, a backdrop.  
“I get it, Ladybug,” Chat said. “Your friendship means everything to me.”  
Suddenly, he leaned in and quickly kissed her on the cheek, his lips soft and gentle against her skin.  
“Oh, and keep the rose. It goes with your costume.”  
Then, he disappeared into the night, once again a shadow hiding amongst the darkness of the night. 

“Between us, I would only allow you to control my heart wherever and whenever you want...”

“We’re a team, right?”

“My lady, I - I love you...”

Marinette woke with a start, and Tikki rushed to her aid. “Marinette! Are you okay?”  
“I - I... I was screaming his name again, wasn’t I?”  
Tikki nodded sadly, her dark blue eyes full of pity. “Oh, Marinette...”

“No, no... it’s okay,” Marinette put her hand to her face and quickly rubbed away the tears she didn’t even know she had cried. “I know now. I know what I have to do.”

Later...

Nervously, Marinette pushed the button to ring the doorbell of Gabriel Agreste’s house. As usual, a monotone voice spoke in reply.  
“Yes? Who is it?” Nathalie said. She sounded tired.  
“Hi, um, it’s Marinette. I’m a friend of Adrien’s and -“  
Abruptly, the door opened, and hesitantly, Marinette stepped inside as the door swiftly shut with a clang behind her. She continued to the main door, where Nathalie was already standing, holding it open. Nathalie’s usually immaculate hair was in a messy bun, and it was greying from the roots. She had bags under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept in days. 

“Here to meet Gabriel, I assume,” Natalie nodded at Marinette, who was mildly surprised that she was taking Gabriel Agreste’s first name instead of saying Mr. Agreste.  
“Um, yes... are - are you okay?”  
Nathalie looked up from her shoes in surprise, like nobody had ever asked her if she was okay. Swallowing, she shook her head as she closed the door.  
“No... everything has changed. Adrien was like - like my own son. And Gabriel... it doesn’t matter. Thank you for asking, Marinette. Come with me,” Nathalie said, and Marinette had the feeling that she had a lot more to her than it seemed.

Two days ago, when it had been discovered that Adrien was Chat Noir, (Adrien - all this time!) Hawk Moth had stood, for the first time, openly in front of Paris, hacking TVs so that only he was on it. Nadja Chamack was delighted, and had filmed everything for the news. Hawk Moth had told the truth, told everyone his true identity because everything had gone too far - he even gave his Miraculous to Ladybug in front of everyone. Hawk Moth was Gabriel Agreste, akumatizing villains in hope that if he got a hold of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous, maybe he could revive his true love, Adrien’s mother Emily Agreste. 

Marinette had been shocked. All this time, Hawk Moth had been fighting his own son, oblivious. The fact that he had revealed his identity only made Marinette’s stomach turn - this time, it was really serious. Chat - Adrien - had been missing for three days, and Marinette’s world had been turned upside down, turning everything that had once been familiar into painful reminders that maybe this time, good wouldn’t win over evil. Maybe, this time, they’d lose...

She was snapped out of her reverie when Nathalie pushed open the door to Adrien’s room, and Marinette was shaken. It was like he had never left, like he was definitely coming back. Adrien’s school bag was sitting in a corner, abandoned, and his bed was unmade, as if he had just slept in it. And in the midst of it all, right there on Adrien’s study desk, sat Gabriel Agreste, his head bowed. His hair, which was normally combed back, was tangled and messy, his clothes wrinkled.  
Gabriel’s head snapped up as Marinette and Nathalie entered the room, and Marinette was shocked. He had bags under his eyes, but they were bruised, blue and purple and grey. His mouth was turned downwards, his eyes hooded. When he looked at her, Marinette could see through to his soul, to who he really was - just a heartbroken man who had lost his family.

“Marinette,” he spoke, and his voice was gravelly, a croak, almost as if he hadn’t used it in days, “I was wondering when you would visit me. I was certain you would. You are a - close friend of his, yes? And please, take a seat.”

Marinette sat down on a chair in front of Gabriel and closed her eyes painfully, images of Adrien imprinted in her mind. Adrien, with his shy, uncertain yet sweet smile as he handed her a friendship bracelet, telling her how he always kept her lucky charm with him. Adrien, sitting besides her in the cinema with a helmet over his head, laughing with Marinette even though she was in her pyjamas and had a towel wrapped around her head. Adrien, who never missed an opportunity to be so unbelievably nice to anyone he met, even Chloé. Adrien, who just wanted some friends.

“Y-yes...” Marinette said carefully. Gabriel must have seen the change in her expression, because he nodded at Nathalie, who was still standing behind him, and with an understanding nod back at him, she left the room, her heels clacking against the tiled floor and the door clicking shut behind her. Gabriel waited for the echo of her footsteps to fade away before he spoke to Marinette again.  
“I understand that... that you loved him very much, but he did not return your feelings?”  
“Yes,” Marinette said quietly, hating the fact that Gabriel was using the past tense to describe Adrien. “I love him,” she corrected.

“Yes, of course. But of course, he still doesn’t know that you are, in fact, Ladybug, am I correct?”  
“Yes,” Marinette repeated uncomfortably. Why was she being investigated?  
“Marinette, you may be confused as to why I am asking you these questions,” Gabriel said, speaking her mind, “but my point is, is that Adrien did - no, does love you. He loves Ladybug, and he loves her for who she is, not for her mask. He just simply doesn’t know that you are Ladybug.”  
“I - I know,” Marinette said. She looked down at her lap, where her hands were entwined, as if they were making a cage to contain all the secrets, all the feelings, she had for Adrien Agreste.  
There was a painstakingly long silence, then, and just before Marinette was about to break it, Gabriel’s shoulders slumped and he put his head in his hands. “To think,” he chuckled humourlessly, “to think that all this time, all these months, I’ve been fighting against my own son, and he still doesn’t know. How can I tell him? How can I tell him that I am Hawk Moth? I could never face him again. If - if I tell him, he’ll think I’m a monster, he’ll -“ Gabriel’s voice broke, and he almost whispered the last sentence. “He’ll hate me...”

“No, you are not Hawk Moth. Yes, you were Hawk Moth, but that is in the past now. Your heart’s intentions were pure, even if your methods of achieving those intentions were wrong. Hawk Moth was a part of you; it didn’t define who you were. You were, and are, just a broken man who would go to any lengths to have a normal family again, to protect the ones he loves. Lila, on the other hand, her intentions, they’re tainted by her obsession with wanting power. She isn’t and wasn’t loyal to anyone, not even you, because she wants plain power, which is dangerous. But you used power to get something that every man would want - love. And in my eyes, in Adrien’s eyes too, that doesn’t make you a monster... it just makes you human. Adrien could never hate you for that,” Marinette said softly, calm on the outside but inwardly laughing at the irony. Who would have thought that she’d be exchanging a soulful conversation with the man who had once been Hawk Moth, out of all people? Adrien’s father, no less? Now she knew. She knew that Gabriel was just simply alone.

“And, one last thing... I’m returning this to you. As long as you use it for good, you deserve this, Mr Agreste.” Marinette dug around in her purse and placed a small brown box with intricate red designs on the desk before Gabriel - a box holding the Butterfly Miraculous.

Gabriel looked up at Marinette, his eyes watering with his hurt for Adrien, and gratefulness for this girl who believed that there was still some good in him.  
“Thank you, Ms Dupain-Cheng. Your words... and the Miraculous... thank you. I am certain you will be able to stop Lila, and when you do, know that I am always here if you would like to ask any favours of me.”  
Marinette nodded, speechless. Gabriel Agreste, the world’s biggest fashion icon thanking her.  
She stood up and walked towards the door, each step feeling like a hundred, until finally, she reached the door. Just as she was about to open it and leave, Gabriel spoke, but was still looking down, the Miraculous in his hands.  
“Marinette,” he said, “If - when Adrien comes back, I’ll be very glad that you are the girl he loves. You have a good heart.”  
She gave a small smile, nodded in acknowledgement, opened the door and left the room. She had a plan.

 

At Alya’s House...

You have a good heart.

Gabriel’s words rang in Marinette’s ears as she knocked frantically on Alya Césaire’s, her best friend’s, door.  
Alya opened it, and dragged Marinette inside. The door hadn’t even shut before Alya had wrapped her arms around Marinette and was hugging her fiercely. Adrien’s ‘kidnapping,’ if you could call it that, had affected everyone immensely. Marinette still hadn’t told Alya and her friends that she was Ladybug, but in order to hatch her next plan, she knew she had to, even if the thought of it made her stomach turn. 

She couldn’t hide it from Alya any longer. They hugged for a long time, before Alya pulled away and looked at Marinette with serious but troubled eyes. “I did what you told me - I called everyone over, and they’re all in my room,”  
Marinette felt a surge of gratefulness wash over her. Alya had always been there for her, and always would be. In that, there was no doubt. 

“Merci beaucoup,” Marinette said as she followed Alya to her room, where, sure enough, sat Nino, Juleka, Luka, Alix, Rose, Ivan, Kim, Kagami, Mylène, Max, Nathaniel and even Chloé and Sabrina.  
Ever since Adrien had gone missing, Chloé had been scarily nice to Marinette and everyone else, apologising (out of her own will!) to everyone she had ever hurt. Marinette had forgiven her, knowing that she had once been Adrien’s only friend, and that there was more to Chloé than met the eye.  
Now, she was curled up in a corner, her blonde hair a tangle and loose by her shoulders instead of it being in its usual high, sleek ponytail. Sabrina sat beside her loyally, as always, comforting her.  
Kagami’s face betrayed no emotion, as always, but her jaw was tense and her eyes tired.  
They all looked up as Marinette and Alya entered the room.

Nino made space for Alya on the bed and she tucked into him, his arm draping over her shoulder as he quickly dropped a kiss on her forehead. Nino, himself, seemed awful. His face had no colour to it, and his smile was forced as he regarded Marinette. He was the closest to Adrien, and they had both helped each other get through some hard times. 

“Marinette needs to talk to us, which is why she asked me to call you all over,” Alya explained.  
By now, everyone else was sitting down in any available space in the room, some on the bed, some on chairs or the floor. Only Marinette remained stood up, and she clenched her fists at her sides, butterflies in her stomach. This was it.  
After months of hiding and making up excuses, she was finally going to tell them all that she was Ladybug. She was finally going to tell Alya that she was Ladybug, the one superhero that she was obsessed with, the one superhero who she had devoted an entire blog to. Oh, mon Dieu, Marinette thought worriedly. What would Alya think?

From across the room, Luka caught Marinette’s eye and gave an encouraging smile, the blue tips of his dark hair falling in his eyes, and Marinette returned the smile gratefully. She could do this. She had fought against a crazed Pharaoh, an evil Santa, a massive evil robot (Robostus), Alya’s little twin sisters who caused a LOT of chaos (Sapotis) and even a werewolf (Weredad). 

Taking a deep breath, Marinette looked at all her classmates, who over time had become her closest friends - people that she could always trust. (Well, maybe except Chloé and Kagami. Sometimes.). 

“Um, hey guys,” she began, and inwardly chided herself, making a mental note to ask Alya to slap her afterwards. ‘Hey guys...’ what was she, a YouTuber?!  
“Um, you’re probably confused as to why I’ve called you here today,” she continued, and in her mind, Chat was chuckling, ‘Way to state the obvious, Bugaboo.’  
“We all know now that Adrien’s been... taken, by Lila, no less. And we also know that Adrien was Chat Noir, helping protect Paris from akumatized villains, although this time Lila isn’t akumatized and is actually doing this out of her own will. Some of you might be wondering where Ladybug is, and why she isn’t out there trying to find him. Well... Tikki, spots on!” 

Slowly, Marinette transformed into Ladybug in front of her friends, and she registered the looks on their faces, on Alya’s face. Confusion, surprise, recognition and lastly, utter shock. Chloé’s mouth was hanging open, as were most of the others’, and Luka grinned at Marinette. Kagami smiled to herself, in that self-righteous way that meant she wasn’t surprised.  
Nino gasped, his voice growing loud as he said, “No. Friggin. Way. Marinette, you little sneak!”  
He jumped up from the bed and wrapped Marinette in a hug. As he pulled away, a knot formed in Marinette’s throat as she looked past Nino to Alya, waiting for her response.

Alya was breaking down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably, her glasses askew on her face and the lenses steamy from her tears. Marinette ran to her side, sliding the glasses off her nose and biting her lip viciously, almost tearing at the skin.  
“A-Alya?” She said uncertainly, her voice small. “I’m so, so sorry I didn’t tell you, but there’s this rule, and - ughhhhhhhh I’m a horrible friend, I’m so so -“  
Marinette was stopped mid-sentence as Alya flung herself at her, her cries muffled by the material of Marinette’s suit. “Shut up, you idiot!” She demanded, laughing a watery laugh as she sniffled and pulled away to look at her best friend.

“I’m not mad with you for hiding that from me... I get it, it would have meant putting yourself and all of us at risk. I’m mad at you for being Ladybug, the most savage, awesome girl superhero on Earth and still being so unbelievably clumsy and shy... You couldn’t even talk to Adrien without stuttering! How?! How is that even physically, humanly possible?!” Alya shook her head in disbelief, and everyone laughed on cue, except from Marinette, who punched Alya on the shoulder. She put her hand to her face, surprised to find it coming back wet. She had cried without knowing it. Again. 

“I knew it all along,” Max interrupted, at which everyone turned to stare at him. “Well, maybe a little bit,” he corrected, his cheeks red.  
Chloé was still shocked. “So, all this time, you were Ladybug? I had pictures of you in my room? I worshipped Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

“Uh, I guess so,” Marinette giggled, a heap of nerves, still not being able to believe that she had just told everyone she was Ladybug. Hawk Moth was gone, so she was no longer at risk of putting people in danger.  
“That’s just ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” Chloé said indignantly, but everyone knew it was good-natured; at least she was being herself again, unlike the strange, nice Chloé that had emerged three days ago.

Alya sat back in her place next to Nino after Marinette told her she wasn’t finished. “But that’s not all... there’s more,” Marinette said, just as her friends whispered amongst each other. (“More?”) 

“Yes. We’re all aware of how powerful Volpina - Lila - has become. She’s blinded by her need for power, and she’s even kidnapped Adrien, someone who never did any wrong to her, to anyone. I’m afraid that if we let her continue to do these things, she’ll be worse than Hawk Moth was, and will probably have the whole of Paris in her clutches, tricking them with her lies and illusions. Alone, I know for certain that I can never fight against her without being caught as well, but together - together we’re more powerful. We need to stand for Paris, for Adrien, and fight against her, teach her how wrong she is. So, I was hoping you, all of you, would join me? Help me defeat Lila, help me bring Adrien back and help me take Paris back. What do you say?”

There was a deafening silence as everyone stared at Marinette, and Rose spoke. “We’d love to help you, Marinette, but you’re Ladybug, and the rest of us, well - we have no powers. Chloé, Nino and Alya have helped you before, but Volpina stole the Fox Miraculous, so Alya can’t be Rena Rouge, and as for Chloé and Nino, even if you give them their Miraculous, they won’t be enough to stop Volpina. How do all of us help?”  
There was a mutter of agreement, and everyone looked back at Marinette expectantly. 

“Good point, Rose, which is why I have already arranged that. Gabriel, you can come in, now,” Marinette said nervously, just as Gabriel Agreste walked into the room.

 

Adrien/Chat Noir’s POV

Adrien groaned as rays of sunlight shone through the barred window - the only source of light in the room. He realised that he was alone in a small, grey-walled room. The floor was hard underneath him, and he shifted uncomfortably, when he found that his hands were in handcuffs, and he was chained to the wall. He had detransformed a long time ago, and frantically, he glanced around the room, calling for his kwami, Plagg.

His head was aching, throbbing, as if someone was banging a hammer on it repeatedly. His throat was dry and as itchy as sandpaper. He found himself longing for something, anything familiar. When he put his hand to his head, it was wet, matted with blood, and he hissed in pain. A fresh wound was open on his arm, running from his shoulder to just above his elbow. How could Lila do something so inhuman? Did she do the same to Ladybug?

Ladybug.

The last thing he remembered was Ladybug crying out for him - “NO! Chat! Chat...”  
Just the thought of her made Adrien want to break down, scream for help. The thought of her being hurt... it killed him.  
Suddenly, something moved in the shadows before him, and his heart stopped beating, his breathing shallow.  
“Who is it? Show yourself, now!” He yelled, desperation and hurt and longing audible in his voice.  
At that, Lila strutted out of the shadows, light shining upon half of her face. But she wasn’t dressed as Volpina.  
Her body was clad in a black, latex suit, and her face was covered by a black mask. Cat ears poked out of the top of her head, her long and glossy brown hair in its usual hairstyle. And on her index finger, she wore a ring - a black ring with a green paw print on it.  
Adrien felt for his pocket, and sure enough, the spare Camembert he usually carried with him was gone. 

Lila had stolen his Miraculous.


End file.
